Vegetarian and Vegan Survival Guide to SXSW 2009

Every year after SXSW, I see posts by vegetarians and vegans who came to our fair city but seem to have spent the whole time hungry. This confuses me, because Austin is one of the most veggie-friendly places I've ever lived. (And yes, I have lived in quite a few places outside of Texas!) Many restaurants are friendly towards and familiar with the veg*n thang.

During the bustle of a conference, though, I'm sure it's tough to make sense of an unfamiliar area in a limited amount of time. If you're with a group and you're the only veg*n, it's even tougher. So here is a list of a ton of places you can go, in downtown and further away, that offer vegetarian and vegan options - revised and expanded from our 2006 edition.

AUSTIN PEEPS, if you want to weigh in, please leave a comment - but if you're going to leave a suggestion for our veg*n friends from out of town, please be specific about where the eatery in question is located! Downtown suggestions are most helpful since that's where the SXSW events are clustered, but if there's anything else they shouldn't miss, tell us about it!

Downtown

If you're on foot or sticking around the downtown area for events, especially since all the music venues are downtown, here are some good options, starting with Asian cuisine:

Koriente on 7th Street between Red River and IH-35 is Korean inspired, with plenty of vegetarian options on their menu and a rep for being very vegan-friendly. They have a gluten-free guide as well.

The Mongolian Grille at 2nd and San Jacinto lets you get a bowl and fill it with all sorts of vegetables and noodles, add some tofu to your liking, then season it with sauces you make yourself based on recipes posted on the wall. The soup that comes with the meal isn't vegetarian. They do not have a separate cooking area for meat and non-meat dishes, though, so if that's a concern for you, head elsewhere.

Thai Passion is at 620 Congress but the door is on 7th Street: Their Thai Fried Rice is good and so is their Pad Thai. Their Thai iced tea is strong and sweet and goes well with their spicier curries. The menu has plenty of vegetarian choices, since most things can be made with tofu instead of meat, and they state that all tofu dishes are vegan.

P.F. Chang's at 2nd and San Jacinto is a chain, yes, but it's right next to the convention center and their tofu lettuce wraps are really good. We also like the MaPo tofu which is served with lots of broccoli. Vegetarian items are marked on their menu (PDF), and the vegetarian items should be safe for vegans except that P.F. Chang's cannot guarantee the sugar. (I've found varying reports on the experiences people have had across the country in different locations, but expect Austin staff to be very familiar with vegetarian and vegan requirements.) They also have a gluten-free menu (PDF) which contains one vegetarian entree and three sides which appear to be vegetarian.

For other Asian restaurants with several vegetarian options, check out Mekong River (Vietnamese) on 6th St, a couple of blocks east of Congress and Kyoto (for several kinds of vegetarian sushi) on Congress between 3rd & 4th.

What else does downtown offer?

The Hideout is a combination coffeehouse and theater on Congress between 6th and 7th. They usually have veggie chili and vegetable sandwiches. They also have pretty good drinks, although they are served very hot, something Ben has forgotten about before (much to his dismay). If you're looking for vegan baked goods, this is known as a good place to go.

Little City is a coffeeshop just up Congress, between 9th and 10th. Their menu (PDF) has sandwiches, salads, and other options. The wheat bread they use for sandwiches (such as the Mediterranean) is vegan, so if you're ordering anything else that comes with bread make sure you specify you're a vegan. If you're eating gluten-free, check out the avocado on the half shell (should be vegan as well) or the cheese plate. Meals are served from 11am to 7pm, at other hours you can get coffee and coffee and more coffee. Seriously, these people are pushers.

Both The Hideout and Little City have free WiFi and PLUGS. Oh yes.

Austin Java has a location right behind City Hall on 2nd Street. Their menu (PDF) marks all the vegetarian options with a carrot, and many are vegan or can be made vegan - just make sure you communicate with the folks taking your order. Coffee drinks can be made with soymilk on request. Check it out for breakfast or lunch weekdays, or dinner also on weekends, though I wouldn't be surprised if they stay open after 5pm on weekdays during SXSW.

Latin Cafe Austin, formerly Dona Emilia's, is at Cesar Chavez (1st Street) and San Jacinto across the street from the Four Seasons. They have four entrees in the vegetarian section of their menu, and two of them look vegan or vegan-izable. Vegetarians could probably also hit this place for breakfast, but vegans not so much.

Leaf is an upscale salad place at 2nd and San Antonio that should please vegetarians, vegans, and the gluten-free crowd alike. Their menu (PDF) has their "Big 12" Salads plus a list of all the ingredients you can use to design your own salad if you don't like their creations. They know what vegan means and often have vegetarian and vegan soups as one of their two soups of the day - they invite you to call ahead to check on what soups are available. They have a selection of nuts and seeds, as well as tofu and avocado, that can be included in your salad.

On 3rd Street west of Congress is Which Which?, another sandwich place with several vegetarian and two vegan selections. Their white bread is vegan, the wheat bread contains honey. The black bean patty is NOT vegan, by the way, it contains some egg. (Please note that the bread at Jimmy John's, another sandwich place downtown, is NOT vegan.)

Chipotle is another chain restaurant but one that's veg*n friendly. It's on Congress near 8th, but it's only open 11-5.

Near 6th and Lamar

If you want to walk about a mile from Congress or take a cab, here are some good options.

Hut's is on 6th between Lamar and Congress. All of their 20+ burger combos can be made with a veggie burger, and also have a veggie sandwich and veggie chili. Behind Hut's is Frank and Angie's pizzeria, owned by the same folks and sharing the same (extremely annoying) website. They offer one cheeseless pizza, the Mona Lisa, but my guess is they'd probably change around the toppings if you see something on the menu you like better.

The mothership of the Whole Foods grocery chain takes up the entire block between 5th and 6th on Lamar. Enough said.

Waterloo Ice House is catty-corner across that same intersection. For breakfast (menu - PDF), vegans could get breakfast tacos with a selection of veggies, and vegetarians have a good selection of options. For lunch and dinner (menu - PDF), vegans can modify the veggie taco or veggie sandwich. Vegetarians have a few more options, including a decent burger, but I don't recommend the fries or the tater tots as a side. Spend those calories on something better.

Right behind Waterloo on 6th is Amy's Ice Cream, which always has two different vegan ices in addition to a variety of ice cream flavors.

Austin All-Vegetarian All Stars

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name... err, dietary preference. There are quite a few other all-vegetarian restaurants in Austin.

Mother's Cafe is an Austin institution. 4215 Duval, north of campus, about 4.5 miles north of downtown. Vegan options are noted on the menu.

Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse has a full menu. 1501 South First, about 1.5 miles south of downtown.

If you're heading up into the University of Texas campus area, you must go to Veggie Heaven at 1914 Guadalupe. Their menu (one version here, I'm not sure it's complete) has about 5.2 billion dishes, all vegetarian, most vegan. They also have vegan bubble tea.

Mr. Natural has two locations in Austin - one at 1908 E. Cesar Chavez (about 1.5 miles east of downtown) and one at 2414 South Lamar (about 3 miles south of downtown). Their menu says "We offer a variety of vegetarian, vegan, ovo-lacto, non-dairy or wheat-free specialties that are all made with love and tender care." If you're looking for Tex-Mex without worry, this is the place to go.

Casa de Luz at 1701 Toomey Road off of Barton Springs, east of Lamar, south of Lady Bird Lake, a little under 2 miles from downtown. It's vegan and macrobiotic.

And the bane of all veg*ns, the BBQ joint...

If you're with people who WANT BBQ because THEY CAME TO TEXAS, DAMMIT, take them to Ruby's on 29th just west of Guadalupe. They have a vegetarian menu on their website, though I'm not sure it's available on paper this way in the restaurant.